§ Mr. LeslieTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the Lord Chancellor has completed his review of the terms of service of part-time judicial office-holders in England and Wales following the judgment of the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland in the Starrs case. [119130]
§ Jane KennedyThe Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, and the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland and the Lord Chancellor have agreed new arrangements for part-time judicial appointments for which the Lord Chancellor is responsible. We accord the highest value to the maintenance of judicial independence for all judges, full-time and part-time, and the arrangements have been fashioned for that purpose.
I am placing in the Library of the House two joint statements signed by the Lord Chancellor and by the Lord Chief Justices setting out these changes for the following appointments in ordinary Courts in England and Wales:
- Recorders.
- Deputy District Judges,
- Acting Stipendiary Magistrates,
- Deputy Masters or Registrars of the Supreme Court,
- Deputy High Court Judges,
- Deputy Circuit Judges,
- Retired Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, Lords Justices and High Court Judges;
and the following appointments in Northern Ireland:
- Deputy Resident magistrate.
- Deputy County Court Judge,
- Deputy District Judge,
- Retired Law Lords, Lord Justices and High Court Judges.
The Lord Chancellor has also decided that no useful purpose is served by retaining the separate offices of Assistance Recorder and Recorder and he will, accordingly, be recommending to Her Majesty that all serving Assistant Recorders should be appointed Recorders. In future, appointments will be made direct to Recordership through an openly advertised selection procedure.
I am also placing in the Library of the House joint statements signed by the Lord Chancellor and by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales covering the following fixed-term appointments to Tribunals:
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- Part-time Immigration Adjudicators
- Part-time members of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal
- Part-time members of the Income and Corporation Taxes Tribunal
- Part-time members of the Lands Tribunal
- Part-time members of the Pensions Appeal Tribunals
- Deputy Social Security and Child Support Commissioners
- Part-time Special Commissioners of Income Tax
- Part-time members of the Appeals Service (social security)
- Part-time Chairmen of the VAT and Duties Tribunal.
The Secretary of State for Social Security and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have placed similar statements in the Libraries covering the following appointments for which they are ministerially responsible:
Secretary of State for Social Security
- Pensions Ombudsman
- Members of the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority
Chancellor of the Exchequer
- Members of the VAT and Duties Tribunal.
These changes will come into effect immediately.
At a later stage, there will be a further announcement about the detailed aspects of these Tribunal arrangements as they will operate in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales following consultation with the devolved administrations.